Turkish eggs with red & green butter

Here’s a new way to serve poached eggs– on a bed of garlicky yogurt, topped with a fragrant or spiced butter. Make one or both. We’ve served ours with Turkish simit bread, a sesame-crusted ring, often eaten for breakfast (see recipe below, or buy from a Middle-eastern shop), but good flatbreads would be nice, too.

SERVES 4 PREP 10 mins plus 1 hr infusing the yogurt COOK 5 mins EASY V

500g thick natural yogurt

1 garlic clove splash white wine vinegar

8 eggs

For the butters small handful each coriander, dill and mint, plus some extra whole leaves to serve, if you like

1 green chilli, roughly chopped, seeds removed if you don’t want it too spicy

50g green olives, chopped 200g butter, softened

2 tsp paprika

½ tsp Aleppo chilli pepper flakes (pul biber), plus extra to serve ½ lemon, zested flatbreads or simit (Turkish sesame breads), to serve (see recipe, right)

1 First, make the flavoured butters. Put the herbs, chilli and olives in a small food processor and blitz until finely chopped. Alternatively, chop by hand or bash using a pestle and mortar. Add 100g butter and mix well. In another bowl, mash the remaining 100g butter with the paprika, chilli flakes and lemon zest. Wrap the butters and chill until you need them. Can be made up to five days ahead.

2 Season the yogurt and add the garlic. Chill for at least 1 hr, or up to a day to infuse.

3 Heat a large pan of water until nearly boiling, and add the vinegar. Crack an egg into a small dish and carefully drop it into the water, then do the same with two more eggs, if you have space in the pan. Poach the eggs for 2-3 mins until the whites are set and the yolks still runny. You can check this by gently lifting one of the eggs out of the water with a slotted spoon – press the whites close to where the yolk is, they should feel firm. Now gently press the yolk (being careful not to burst it), it should still feel soft. Transfer to a plate lined with kitchen paper and cook the rest of the eggs.

4 Heat each of the butters in a separate pan (or in the microwave) until melted. Don’t overheat or the herbs will lose their vibrancy.

5 Remove the garlic clove from the yogurt, then divide the yogurt between four plates or shallow bowls, making a nest shape for the eggs to sit in the middle. Return all the eggs to the hot water for 20-30 secs to make sure they’re warm. Drain well, then place two on each plate of yogurt. Drizzle over either of the butters, or a little of each, scatter with some herbs and a little more Aleppo pepper, if you like. Serve with bread for scooping.

GOOD TO KNOW calcium • folate • gluten free PER SERVING 641 kcals • fat 57g • saturates 32g • carbs 10g • sugars 10g • fibre 1g • protein 21g • salt 1.9g

Simit bread

Simit breads are sesame bread rings, which look similar to bagels. They are sold on every street corner in Turkey and are popular for breakfast or as a snack.

MAKES 4 PREP 30 mins plus 3 hrs proving COOK 15 mins EASY V ❄

250g strong white bread flour

1 tsp salt

1 tsp caster sugar

1 tsp (5g) fast-action dried yeast 100g sesame seeds

1 tbsp molasses syrup or pomegranate molasses

1 Tip the flour, salt and sugar into a bowl and mix together. Add the yeast and 150ml warm water, mix, then knead for a few mins to bring everything together into a soft dough. Tip onto your work surface and continue kneading for 10-12 mins until the dough feels stretchy. Return to a clean bowl, cover and leave to rise for an hour or two until doubled in size.

2 Meanwhile, toast the sesame seeds in a dry frying pan until golden. Set aside in the pan. Mix the molasses syrup or pomegranate molasses with 50ml water in a wide shallow bowl.

3 Divide the dough into four equal pieces. Roll each into a sausage about 45cm long. Flip the rope of dough back on itself then twist the two strands and loop into a ring, squeezing the ends together to secure. Once shaped, dip each piece into the molasses water, turning to coat, then into the sesame seeds, making sure each one is well covered. Transfer to a baking tray, cover and leave to prove for another 45 mins-1 hr. Heat oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6.

4 When the breads have puffed up, uncover them and bake for 15-18 mins until golden. Cool, then wrap in a tea towel to keep them fresh. Can be made up to a day ahead and warmed gently before serving.

GOOD TO KNOW vegan • calcium • iron

PER SERVING 408 kcals • fat 15g • saturates 3g • carbs 52g • sugars 4g • fibre 5g • protein 14g • salt 1.2g